Last day of vacation!

Well, this post will sum up all of our vacation travels. We arrived in Dallas mid-afternoon on the 3rd to meet my Aunt LeAnne (mom's sister). We picked her up and headed over to Uncle Jeff's house (my mom's brother). The evening was very casual and relaxed. We went out for pizza then visited until early morning. On the 4th we slept late, and sat around the breakfast table a long time just catching up. George, Aunt LeAnne, and I ran to a fancy grocery store to pick up a few more things for lunch. I've never seen such a produce selection in my life!! Plus they had a whole wall of specialty cheeses. It was quite the experience. After a delicious lunch we had to say farewell and get on the road. Overall it was a wonderful trip full of friends and family. We couldn't have asked for anything more.

Uncle Jeff and Aunt Paula

Aunt LeAnne

Day Five-Tuesday

Tuesday morning of our vacation we slept in just a bit, then were able to get up and enjoy breakfast, again, Aunt Charlotte is a wonderful cook. Emily, my cousin, and her three children came over so we would have a little more time to visit. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, but we knew we needed to get on the road. After saying goodbye to the Huffmans and Halbgewachs, we headed back over to Beckett Meadows to say goodbye to Aunt Margie and gramps. Once we said our goodbyes there we headed north to Dallas to see some of my mom's family.

Emily and her beautiful family. Unfortunately, Mark had already went to work and we didn't get a picture of him.

Just the kids.

Uncle Dickie and Aunt Charlotte

With Emily.

Everyone came outside to sing, "so long farewell" to us, it was very sweet.

Me and Gramps having a good laugh before we left.

Us with Aunt Margie.

Day Four: Monday-Part II

For dinner we had arranged to meet Joseph and Rachel Weyel to catch up with them. They met us in the downtown area and then treated us to a wonderful dinner overlooking San Antonio. We had dinner at the 740 foot tall Tower of the Americas' Restaurant, Eyes Over Texas. It is a revolving restaurant that makes a full circle every hour providing a full view of the city. It was kind of an odd feeling at first; we'd get caught up in conversation, then look out and have an entire new view of the city. We had a great visit, and enjoyed catching up.

Eventually, it was time to say goodbye and head back to Austin. When we arrived back in Austin it was just at 11pm, but we wanted to take the opportunity to visit Mark and Emily Huffman. Emily is my cousin, and they had been out of town all weekend. We went over their home until the early hours of the morning and had a nice visit. We felt a little guilty keeping Mark up so late since had to work early in the morning, but we were thankful to get to see them.

The view from our table.

Our group.

The view from the observation deck -- it was really windy up there!

As we left I took a quick picture of the tower.

Day Four: Monday-Part I

On Monday morning we woke up early to join Uncle Dickie and Aunt Charlotte for breakfast with gramps and Aunt Margie at Beckett Meadows. Then we headed south to San Antonio to see some sights down there. After stopping briefly at an outlet mall, we arrived just in time for lunch. We stopped in at a unique deli for a light lunch then began out walk around the riverwalk. We eventually decided to take one of the boat tours to find out more about the building and things we were seeing around us. Despite the silly tour guide, we really enjoyed the ride.

After the boat tour we went to visit the Alamo. I had been as a young child, but didn't remember much of the history. We did a quick tour of the barracks and then into the Alamo itself. It was a neat part of history to see.

After the Alamo, we headed to a local mall to cool off and find a place to sit and rest awhile.

A mama duck and her ducklings. They looked so soft and cuddly.

A nice gentleman visiting from Arizona took our picture in front of the river.

We got great seats on the boat...the very front of the boat!
A view from the boat.
Another view from the boat...very neat architecture.

George outside of the Alamo

The front of the Alamo
A long semi-covered walkway that was very pretty.

Day Three-Sunday

Sunday morning we woke up early to join grandpa and Aunt Margie for breakfast at Beckett Meadows (the assisted living home). After breakfast we had time to return to Uncle Dickie and Aunt Charlotte's to get ready for church. We were blessed to attend services where Uncle Dickie serves as pastor, Oak Hill Primitive Baptist Church. After church we headed back for lunch. Aunt Charlotte made us a beautiful, not to mention tasty lunch. Matt, Becca, Karsyn, Heath, and Becca's mother joined us as well. We had a wonderful visit and time together.

Later in the afternoon Uncle Dickie and Aunt Charlotte took us on a tour of Austin, ending at the Oasis. A restaurant with gorgeous views of Lake Travis and the city of Austin, and surrounded by some beautiful homes. Again, we had a wonderful time of fellowship and visiting that was continued back at the house and late into the evening.

Matt (cousin), Becca, George, and I after lunch Sunday. They are expecting another baby in December or January.

The fellas doing some car talking at the dinner table after lunch.

Becca and Heath. Sorry Karsyn, I didn't manage to get a picture of you!

George and I standing right by our table after dinner. We were blessed to get a table right by the edge, with a gorgeous view.Here is another view from our table. It was so relaxing to just sit and visit with the fresh air and cool temperature.

This was the view of this home from our table. Apparently the small, cone-shaped home next door is their guest house. Pretty incredible, but quite a lot to clean. :)